Glycoproteins mediate many essential functions in human beings, other eukaryotic organisms, and some prokaryotes, including catalysis, signalling, cell-cell communication, and molecular recognition and association. They make up the majority of non-cytosolic proteins in eukaryotic organisms. Lis and Sharon, 1993, Eur. J. Biochem. 218:1-27. Many glycoproteins have been exploited for therapeutic purposes, and during the last two decades, recombinant versions of naturally-occurring, secreted glycoproteins have been a major product of the biotechnology industry. Examples include erythropoietin (EPO), therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (therapeutic mAbs), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), interferon-β, (IFN-β), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCH). Cumming et al., 1991, Glycobiology 1:115-130.
The oligosaccharide component can significantly affect properties relevant to the efficacy of a therapeutic glycoprotein, including physical stability, resistance to protease attack, interactions with the immune system, pharmacokinetics, and specific biological activity. Such properties may depend not only on the presence or absence, but also on the specific structures, of oligosaccharides. Some generalizations between oligosaccharide structure and glycoprotein function can be made. For example, certain oligosaccharide structures mediate rapid clearance of the glycoprotein from the bloodstream through interactions with specific carbohydrate binding proteins, while others can be bound by antibodies and trigger undesired immune reactions. Jenkins et al, 1996, Nature Biotechn. 14:975-981.
Mammalian cells are the preferred hosts for production of therapeutic glycoproteins, due to their capability to glycosylate proteins in the most compatible form for human application. Cumming, 1991, supra; Jenkins et al., 1996, supra. Bacteria very rarely glycosylate proteins, and like other types of common hosts, such as yeasts, filamentous fungi, insect and plant cells, yield glycosylation patterns associated with rapid clearance from the blood stream, undesirable immune interactions, and in some specific cases, reduced biological activity. Among mammalian cells, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have been most commonly used during the last two decades. In addition to giving suitable glycosylation patterns, these cells allow consistent generation of genetically stable, highly productive clonal cell lines. They can be cultured to high densities in simple bioreactors using serum-free media, and permit the development of safe and reproducible bioprocesses. Other commonly used animal cells include baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, NS0- and SP2/0-mouse myeloma cells. More recently, production from transgenic animals has also been tested. Jenkins et al., 1996, supra.
The glycosylation of recombinant therapeutic proteins produced in animal cells can be engineered by overexpression of glycosyl transferase genes in host cells. Bailey, 1991, Science 252:1668-1675. However, previous work in this field has only used constitutive expression of the glycoprotein-modifying glycosyl transferase genes, and little attention has been paid to the expression level.